The present invention relates generally to a computer or typewriter keyboard and more particularly to a computer keyboard capable of performing many functions.
Traditionally, typewriter keys have been placed on five rows, four alphabet/numeral/symbol key rows plus a space bar key row. All keys were within reach of the hands when positioned on the middle row, often referred to as the "home row", making rapid touch typing possible. Typically, the keys were spaced widely enough so that they could trigger the type keys mechanically. The typewriter keys were arranged in columns slanting from top left to bottom right.
This arrangement allowed the fingers of the right hand to operate comfortably in line with the arm. However, it required twisting the left wrist to the left out of line with the arm, a position more difficult to learn and less comfortable than the right-handed position. Computers, which no longer need to provide space for triggering type keys still use this awkward position of the left hand.
A typewriter has two modes, shift for capital letters, and unshifted for lower case letters. Thus, pressing the "a" key in the unshifted mode produces a lower case "a", while pressing the "a" key in the shift mode produces an "A".
Early computers added "function" mode keys, which added "temporary" functions that were not possible on typewriters. "Temporary" in this sense means effective only while being held down, such as a shift key being held down while an alphabetic key is struck. "Alternate" and "control" modes were added, further expanding keyboard capabilities with two more "full fledged" modes, that is, modes capable of temporary, locked, or direct operations ("direct operations" meaning to complete a command or sequence of commands). Initially, most keyboards possessed "alternate" and "control" keys only on one side of the keyboard. Additional alternate and control keys were placed on the other side of the keyboard on some computers to eliminate having to stretch one hand to access two separate keys. This layout was similar to the shift key, but unlike the shift key, the alternate and control keys generally could not be placed in matching locations due to the traditional arrangement of keys.
The next additions to keyboards were ten "F" (function) keys placed in two vertical rows on the left side of the keyboard, and/or twelve such keys placed in a single row of smaller keys above the top standard row of keys. The ten or twelve modes provided by these keys were also capable of "full fledged" usage.
Most keyboards in this stage also had a set of keys on the right side which operated in three modes: unshifted for cursor control, control for temporary numerals, and numeral lock for numeral usage. Cursor controls were later placed on a separate pad. Additional keys, such as escape, scroll lock, print screen, etc., were added on the right side of the keyboard so that desktop keyboards, which were formerly about 11" long, are now at least 18" long. The length of the keyboard requires even touch-typists to constantly look away from any copy to "hunt and peck" any keys not within reach of the home hand positions and hunt and place their hands back on their home positions. This process complicates and slows down the use of the keyboard. This is especially true in the case of children who are learning to type.
Since the extended keyboard had cursor control keys which could move the cursor only horizontally, vertically, and to beginning and end of documents, a mouse, or trackball device, capable of moving the cursor 360.degree. was attached to the keyboard. Initially, these devices were attached to the keyboard by a wire and called a mouse. Then these devices were attached or incorporated into the keyboard in various locations. This has resulted in the increase in shifting between the home row key positions and the trackball or mouse to access the increasingly complex screens and additional functions assigned to the mouse or trackball.
In earlier keyboard models and now on the keyboards of portable or laptop computers, a numeral pad is superimposed on the right hand alphabet/numeric keys. In the smaller computer keyboards this was done to reduce keyboard size. The other mathematical symbols (#, $, %, &, *, (, +, -, etc.) are in their traditional location. This arrangement requires moving the hand up a row from its normal position to access the 7, 8, 9, and 0 keys.
The end result of this process of adding keys and devices piecemeal to a keyboard while retaining the keyboard's standard left-hand key pattern is that operators must stretch their left hand to access widely separated keys, look away from the copy to guide their hands away from and back to the home row key positions, and guide the cursor over an increasingly complex screen. Any or all of these problems greatly impair rapid rhythmic keyboarding.
Electronic notepads have been developed that allow the user to enter and process data using a pen. Additionally, computer systems now include radio antennae to facilitate "on-line" communication between computers; microphones to facilitate voice interaction with computer programs; and stereo speakers to enhance the sound effects of computer games, CD-ROM products and the like. Attempts to integrate these devices into a computer keyboard would only aggravate the problems described above.
What is needed, then, is a keyboard that is capable of efficiently handling current computer usage and that is capable of accommodating newly developing computer related devices. Such a keyboard is presently lacking in the prior art.